Tretinoin/Retin A 0.1% causing my face to fall off

I've been using tretinoin 0.05% cream for the last year or so with no problems aside from a little peeling which I easily managed to exfoliate off. I feel it helped spots, blackheads and made my skin 'glow' a little but didn't find any noticeable improvement in my wrinkles. Therefore when my current tube of 0.05% finished I ordered a higher strength 0.1% which was only available as a gel. I've only been able to apply it on two or three occasions as my whole face peels so badly I can't wear make up for about a week afterwards. Exfoliating doesn't really help as the peeling is so bad in places it has caused bleeding! Not good I know.I've obviously stopped using it but wondered if anyone else has used this strength and could advise. Do I go back to the lower strength and accept no wrinkle improvement? Or am I doing something wrong with the application of the gel? I use a SA toner around 4 nights per week and usually avoid this if I apply tretinoin gel.

I would go back to the 0.05%. Afaik, there is no great benefit to using the stronger strength, just more potential irritation. While you may not notice a difference in wrinkles, there undoubtedly is, but it may be too subtle yet. With continued use, over the next few years, it will certainly halt the ageing process and improve your skin. SPF 50 every single day too.

There isn't supposed to be a benefit to 0.1% but if you follow the Hotandflashy blog she uses it and definitely seems to have had results. She posted about it recently - however she seems to have spent a year transitioning up to 0.1%.

Stopping the 0.05% and just using the 0.1% would definitely be a mistake - you need to go back and if you are going to use the 0.1% accept it is going to take you months and months of transition to get on it.

And don't exfoliate off the dead skin, it just traumatises your skin more. You need to treat your skin with complete love. I like Cerave with my Retin A as it's full of skin barrier ingredients but when I'm sore I swap to Avene Cicalfate.

I'm suffering from the same today! I used the 0.5 for over a year and I felt it stopped having such an effect. I've switched to 0.1 too. I think you should only use it about twice a week and never on consecutive nights as I've discovered!

I use the 0.1% but can only cope with 2/3 times per week max, my skin does peel but I gentle rub it with cetaphil in the shower every day and seems to be ok. I've always had the crappest skin and it is finally starting to have a glowy look to it - when it's not falling off that is

Thanks for the advice everyone. I got mine from Geoff pharmacy too but I think at the time the 0.1% was only available as a gel. I'm on holiday in the US at the moment so not using retin a anyway as it's so hot but I'll go back to using 0.05% when I go back home. I had a look at Cerave in a drugstore a few days ago but the product for oily skin looks like a face wash and I like a cream cleanser which I can take off with a wet flannel. My skin is really oily so I avoid products for dry skin.

You want the Cerave PM moisturiser. It says dry skin - ignore it- it's an oil free moisturiser full of ceramides and niacinamide which are lovely skin barrier ingredients which are what your skin needs repairing right now.